Annual Conference: Ann Blackmore - the new political landscape

Ann Blackmore, who works for the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, provided us with an overview of the recent election and what impact it is likely to have on the third sector.

The Coalition

Firstly, Ann reminded everyone of what happened back on May 6, when the Conservative party won the most seats but fell short of an overall majority. As we all know, after some intense negotiations that resulted in a coalition government Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats joining David Cameron's Conservatives in a coalition government.

Ann said that the coalition is dependent on an alliance of left leaning elements of Conservatives with largely right-wing Liberal Democrats, which makes it quite vulnerable

Research identifies that in the Liberal Democrats there are:

• 30 left wing
• 10 central
• 17 from the right

And the Conservatives have:

• 35 left leaning
• 207 centrists
• 55 rightwing

Now, 35 per cent of MPs are new. Ann said it was like Freshers week at university. Parliament is now becoming a place for people with a career in politics.

Ann said it was very difficult to see where alliances were to be made, due to the very inconsistent picture of the election - where parties successes were wildly variable across the country.

The Conservatives had some problems

• People didn't understand Big Society/Broken Society
• David Cameron only played well in the South East.

Ann then talked about the team and the politics of the new government.

These include an emphasis on localism and the Big Society. But she said the primary agenda is on spending cuts. The £6.7bn cuts have already been made. The emergency budget will last three months and then there will be a spending review. Ann said the cuts will be large and deep.

Labour didn't suffer as badly as expected - and now there's a leadership election for a new leader. She said that some people felt that the new leader won't necessarily lead the party back into power.

What does it mean?

• Local diversity is another word for the postcode lottery. Different areas will get different priorities and outcomes.
• There will be an end to ring-fenced budgets
• Have to talk to the sector - local relationships will be crucial for local government.
• Need to express clearly what we - the third sector - does.
• Voluntary orgs receive 37 per cent of funding from the state (in average). Public spending is important, but assuming the sector can just win more contracts is naive. It's essential to demonstrate what you can deliver.
• It will be essential to focus on what the sector 'has' to do.

Where we are now?

Ann said she wanted to hear back from people to find out what they wanted. The government was looking to flesh out the Big Society idea and needs the help of the Third Sector. Tomorrow NCVO is running a summit for some of the bigger organisations to look at this and the operation of some of the sources of funding, including the Big Lottery Fund.

Ann also said that it was the value to peoples' lives that would be essential in convincing the government to invest in the third sector. A lot of great value was being provided to people but she said 'we need to demonstrate the work that we do much better.'

To see Ann's presentation visit here.